Diocese of Toledo, Ohio

Browsing From the Pastor

October 9th/10th Bulletin Article

Dear Friends,

We approach the end of this series on Holy Mass. We discussed last week the reception of Holy Communion. There is maybe one last thing to mention about the Communion Rite. In the Roman Missal (the book with the prayers and rubrics of the Mass), there is a Communion Antiphon. This is a verse from Scripture, often from the Psalms but not always, that is meant to be chanted, sung, or even recited. When thinking about liturgical music and that which we sing during the Mass, we should consider using the lyrics provided by the Church, and even more so, consider using the lyrics provided by the Holy Spirit, found in Sacred Scripture.

After Holy Communion has been distributed, any remaining consecrated Hosts are placed in the ciborium and into the tabernacle. Why is this? The Real Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ remains in the Blessed Sacrament, even after Mass. Jesus remains with us, not only in the reception of the Blessed Sacrament, but He remains with us in the tabernacle, waiting for us to visit Him. You may see the priest “washing” the vessels: the patens, ciboria, and chalices. The precise terminology is that the priest is purifying the vessels. The smallest crumbs from the consecrated Hosts and the slightest drops of the Precious Blood, even though small, is still the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore, we don’t and can’t just simply throw out the remains in the trash (and this is true about blessed sacramentals and holy objects—perhaps more on this in another column). Purifying the vessels is about reverently, respectfully, and properly removing the smallest portions of the Blessed Sacrament by pouring water in the vessels and consuming that water, thereby consuming the smallest particles of the Eucharist.

It is good to have a period of silence during the Communion Rite; this allows for some time to speak to our Lord Jesus Christ in the quiet of our hearts, sharing our gratitude and welcoming Him into the depths of our hearts, souls, and spirits. We eventually stand as the priest invites us to prayer, but saying, “Let us pray.” We leads us in the Prayer after Communion. This prayer typically expresses gratitude for receiving the Bread of Life and asks God that through the Eucharist, He may transform us, taking what we have received into our daily lives. The priest then imparts the Final Blessing; this is part of what a priest is meant to do: sanctify the people of God.

After the Final Blessing, the priest or deacon may say any of the following: “Go in peace;” “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life;” “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” In the Traditional Latin Mass, the dismissal was “Ite missa est,” which can be translated as, “Go, it is the dismissal,” or “Go, it has been sent.” In the Eastern Catholic churches, they refer to their church service as the Divine Liturgy; in the Latin Rite (that’s us), we refer to our church service as Mass because of that Latin dismissal word missa, which eventually came to be Mass. It is important to stay through the entire Mass all the way to the dismissal. Aside from saying pithy quips such as, “Judas was the only one the leave the Last Supper early,” the dismissal is sending us on mission. We have worshipped God, joining into the sacrifice of obedience and thanksgiving of Jesus Christ, and have received the Holy Eucharist, and now at the dismissal, we are being sent out into the world, to bring Jesus Christ to others. We are, in a sense, co-workers with Jesus Christ, helping Him in the salvation of the world.

Lastly, we have begun praying the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel in the last couple of years. This is not formally a part of the Holy Mass; it is a devotional prayer. It had been done nearly universally for about 50+ years before falling out of favor—I don’t have the space to explain why it fell out of favor. It is now back because we have recognized our need for angelic help against sin, against the work of the devil; we recognize the spiritual battle going on and the spiritual combat in which we are involved. Pope Leo XIII (reigned as pope from 1878-1903) had a vision of the devil’s attacks on the Church in the 20th century, so he composed this Prayer to St. Michael (the original is much longer) and asked that all pray it after Mass and regularly.

We have come to the end of discussing Holy Mass. I will now have to think of ideas for bulletin columns again.

We are saints under construction, sent forth to announce the Gospel of the Lord and glorify God by our lives. Have a great week!

 

In Christ,

Fr. Matt

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